I ordered an XL H1 from B&H and 3 HDV tapes from Buy.com. Both packages arrived the same day, same truck. I wasn't home. They have my signature on file, so they left the camera at my front door, but they did not leave the $15 tapes because they needed that signature in person. :)

Yikes. Glad it made it. I recently had an Apple Quad 2.5 sitting under my carport for 4 days while I was on vacation many states away. Got back and tracked it and it said delivered. Sure enough...$4,000 sitting there all week. Crazy...Fed Ex is lucky I'm honest.

About 20 years ago a new export customer from Spain started buying music gear from me.He said he was sending me a bank check or cashiers check. When I came home from work, there was a big fed ex( i think it was fed ex) pouch leaning up against my front door. When I opened the pouch. there was about $15000 in travelers checks (100's) signed by the guy, with the 'pay to" left open....
True story.
Bruce Yarock

When I bought my cameras a few years ago, they had the GL1 in stock, and were going to have the XL1s delivered to my house. They said it would be delivered either Friday or Saturday. Well, Friday wasn't a problem, but I was going to be gone all day Saturday. So, thinking ahaead, I asked them not to ship until the next week when I would be home, and make it so I needed to sign for it.

Saturday rolls around, and I just happen to stop by the house, in between things. Sure enough, sitting on my porchstep, was my new XL1. That driver is lucky it was still there.

When I bought my DVX along with other things... Fed Ex left it at the door... their excuse was that the old owner of the house add put a waiver on the address to just leave things... totally ignoring the request from EVS to make sure that I sign for it... which was my request...

I can not believe al the stories! Am I glad that here in the Netherlands the standard procedure is that if you're not at home they deliver it at your neighbour and put a message in your mailbox. If that's not working (no neighbours or not at home as well) then you can pick it up at the depot.

They used to do that here in the US too (maybe some areas still do), but nowadays, they might just ring the doorbell -- or not -- as they drop off the package and then dash back to the truck.

Same story as everyone else -- despite "signature required" FedEx routinely just "dumps and dashes" my shipments. I just happened to look out the front door one day and saw a box with an XL-H1 inside sitting on my doorstep (this was a unit that was supposed to have been returned to the retailer due to a previous shipping snafu, so I was totally NOT expecting it).

For those of us old enough to remember the days before iPods, cell phones, personal computers, and FedEx, the overnight shipping industry is truly an amazing phenomenon and service. Still, FedEx has a precise system solidly in place, and that leaves little excuse for these kind of problems.

PS: Since this thread really isn't about the XL-H1 per se, I'm going to move it for now to the Totem Pole (maybe one of the other moderators will find a better home for it, but this'll do for now).

__________________Pete BauerThe most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert EinsteinTrying to solve a DV mystery? You may find the answer behind the SEARCH function ... or be able to join a discussion already in progress!

That cracks me up, guys! Because I've had similar things happen. A gigantic box with an XL1 was delivered to me, but at least they had the decency to make sure someone was home. Unfortunately, 1 month later I ordered a deck and it was left on the front porch.

The most idiotic for me was when I ordered a PowerBook recently and I wanted to make sure I was home for it. But I had to run to the store for 10 minutes. I got back and there it was, in front of my door. Best part? All over the box it said SIGNATURE REQUIRED. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I bought it around Christmas...Fed Ex did that and another when my newest copy of Final Cut (Studio) was left in front of my door with the SIGNATURE REQUIRED stamped all over it.

I've heard horror stories of those computers, etc. being stolen from nice neighborhoods because the thieves probably saw the computer boxes in the garbage throughout the month.

i've had so much equipment delivered that the UPS guy, who i love, gave me a copy of his schedule, so that if i miss him, i can chase down his truck later. he's the best! his son is going to film school.....

I hope nobody's computer or camera was on this plane that landed in Philadelphia yesterday. On the news they pointed out that only part of the shipment was destined for the Philadelphia area, and the majority of packages were headed to different locations through their hub....

Anyone expecting a package that was on a UPS flight that caught fire on its approach to Philadelphia International Airport early yesterday is likely to have a long wait - if the package arrives at all.

United Parcel Service Inc. officials must wait until federal investigators give permission to board the plane before checking on the condition of the packages, said Mark Guiffre, a company spokesman.

For what it's worth, the $15 HDV tapes are arguably unnecessary. That's a decision you have to make for yourself, but I've shot many hours of HDV footage on standard miniDV tapes and had fewer problems with dropouts than I did with the same tapes in my DV cameras. I ran a few HDV tapes when I first bought my FX1 and then thought better of it: if I had it to do over again I'd skip that step.